Natalya's Journey Begins, 2014

September 8, 2014

Natalya has always been a good eater.  She loves to try new food and can usually eat as much as I do. That's why when she started complaining of stomach pain and cramping then became a finicky eater, I knew something was up.  

The pain would come and go so we didn't think too much of it.  Maybe she should drink more water.  Maybe she needed to use the restroom.  Maybe she ate something that disagreed with her.  Maybe she's allergic to something.  After passing this off for a while, we tried home remedies.  We rubbed essential oils on her tummy, vitamins, increasing her fiber intake, we made sure she was eating very, very healthily.  

Some days were better than others.  She started getting canker sores in her mouth (which I never related to her gut problems) and they didn't seem to heal.  This dragged on for months.  Finally, she started passing blood in her stools.  I took her in to see her pediatrician in February of 2014 and he claimed that she probably had a lesion from her system being backed up and to take Miralax then after a month she should be better.  That was a bad idea.  She had terrible diarrhea and the problem only seemed to get worse.  

Her cankers were multiplying.  One morning she woke up and her face was swollen.  I took her to the dentist because I thought she could have an abscess. He claimed there was no abscess and she probably had a virus that would run it's course.  He said she was healthy. 

That wasn't a good enough answer for me so I returned to the pediatrician's office and saw a different doctor.  He hemmed and hawed. He heard about her cankers and swelling then examined her.  When he pressed on her belly, the thought came to me to tell him about her previous experiences with belly pain and passing blood.  I told him that her past doctor had her try Miralax and that made it worse.  The doctor sat back in his chair and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head.  His eyebrows shot up and he took a deep breath.  So glad that he seemed to have an answer, I was on the edge of my seat!  He explained that she might need to see a gastroenterologist (a specialist that deals with the digestive tract).  He went on to say that she could be suffering from ulcerative colitis but he wasn't sure.  He ordered a blood panel for her to do and sent us on our way.  

I was nervous about what might be wrong with my baby, but grateful for possible answers and a treatment plan.  

Her first blood draw was a little frightening.  She was so brave.  I was impressed with her courage.  After getting poked and the blood not flowing (for several minutes!) they were going to have to try another vein.  They poked her other arm and she started to pass out.    The carried her to a table to lie down and pressed ice packs behind her neck.  Once she was alert, they finished the blood draw.  That was the first blood draw of many in her future.

We saw a pediatric gastroenterologist and she ordered more blood work, and an endoscopy and colonoscopy.  Natalya had just turned 10.  I couldn't help but think of how difficult it would be to go through all this as a child.  If she was scared she didn't let it show.  She endured the procedures like a champ!  I was so proud of my girl.

Here she is just before her endoscopy/colonoscopy. 

Endoscopy and colonoscopy complete.  Next, an MRE/MRI with contrast.  Then a bone scan...

You're a trooper, Natalya!